Corona Devotionals

Have you ever tried to start your car and the battery was dead?  There is a disconnect, and no connection where there used to be one.  But a dead battery can be jumped, charged, or replaced, and the engine will run once again, good as new with all cylinders firing. But I think we all know that (frustrating/helpless) feeling of loss when a vehicle battery is dead. ~~~ Sometimes we sit here with You, Lord...and the Bible is open, and our hearts are also, but the connection isn't there.  I relent in using the word "dead', but there is definitely a disconnect. Be honest.  It happens. We sit here reading Your Word.  Seeking.  Needing.  Possibly hurting.  Desperate.   And yet, like an engine that won't turn over... nothing. The God-inspired words are there on the Biblical page, and we are ingesting them, but... nothing .   What if there is no connection today? I think we all know that (frustrating/helpless) feeling of loss when we ca...

Unless the   Lord   builds   the house,  the builders labor in vain.   Unless the   Lord   watches   over the city,  the guards stand watch in vain. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for god gives rest to his loved ones.    Psalm 127:1-2  2  ~~~ Did anyone else need to hear this from the Lord today? We work so hard.  Toil.  Torque.   Making schedules.  Keeping schedules.   Meetings, appointments, events.   Building a reputation.  Building an income.  Building a nest egg.  Building an image.  Building a marriage.  Building a family. But what is the base of our house ?  From where comes our foundation?  Unless the   Lord   builds   the house,  the builders labor in vain.  ~Psalm 127:1 God is not calling us out today, rather, he is cla...

I found out that one of my friends is having a hard time.  She didn't say how, or why, or about what, but she was vulnerable-enough with me to share that she was "not in the best place for a while".  For a simple phrase ( "not in the best place for a while") , I have a feeling (and my own experiences) that the shadows and struggles attached to that phrase (and situation-in-life) can run deep and for too long.    "But", she added, "through the grace of God" she is "out of the valley". Our conversation ended, but the heaviness in my heart for her lingered.  It's still there, actually.   Dark times in our lives (and hearts and minds) are hard to climb out of.  When we are stuck in the bindings of it...relief and hope can seem impossible.   My friend got it right, though:  through the grace of God , we can get out of the valley. Are we there today?  Buried?  Frozen.  Detached.  Desperate?  Questioning?  Hop...

We got a letter today!  And it's comforting...and personalized...and tender. It's from Jude.   Who's Jude?   We know Jude... Jude was a follower of Jesus.  Jude was contemporary of Jesus.  Jude was a half-brother of Jesus (his parents were Mary and Joseph too).  And by his own words, Jude was  a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. This letter is from Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James.  I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father, who loves you and keeps you safe in the care of Jesus Christ. ( 2)  May God give you more and more mercy, peace, and love.   ~Jude 1:1-2     Jude wrote a letter to us:  I am writing to all who have been called by God the Father... (Jude 1:1). Beloved, we have been called by God the Father , who ( Receive it today! ) loves us and keeps us safe   in the care of Jesus Christ.   Yes, Jude.   Thank you for...